Ivan Rakitic: Cool down your team-mates

“I like the responsibility that comes with being captain. When my team-mates aren’t pulling their weight I raise the intensity of their performance with encouragement, and when they’re getting carried away I calm them down.

If a team-mate is on the verge of getting sent off because he’s flying into tackles, I do my best to pacify him. I talk calmly and walk him away from the situation. They leave it to me to address the referee if they feel something needs to be communicated.

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We are footballers, not ballet dancers. As in any other walk of life, you have people who play dirty and you have to be aware of that. It can get rough; it can get unsporting. When someone steps over the line with their behaviour, I speak to the referee about it.

I think I manage to keep things under control both on and off the pitch. We are a collective, a team – not 25 individuals just gathered together.”